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Gattuso succeeds Ancelotti as Napoli manager

Marco Luzzani / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The student has become the master.

Gennaro Gattuso replaced Carlo Ancelotti, his former coach and mentor, as manager of Napoli on Wednesday. Gattuso signed a six-month contract with an option for another year, according to The Guardian's Fabrizio Romano.

"Welcome Rino!" club president Aurelio De Laurentiis wrote on Twitter.

Ancelotti was fired by Napoli hours after their 4-0 win over Genk, which secured their passage to the Champions League knockout stage.

Gattuso was rumored for some time as a potential replacement, especially as the Partenopei tumbled down the standings. They're currently seventh in Serie A with 21 points from 15 matches.

Gattuso played for Ancelotti during an illustrious spell at Milan and went on to coach the Rossoneri from December 2017 until May 2019. He nearly guided Milan to the Champions League last season, missing out on fourth place by a single point.

"I wanted to call Carlo last night, but I knew he was with his family. We spoke this morning," Gattuso told reporters on Wednesday, according to Football Italia. "It was not an easy couple of days for me, as I knew that I had to clarify my decision with Carlo and also speak to the staff.

"Yet again, Carlo proved himself a wonderful person today. He was like a father for me. I had over 300 games with him as coach. I have always called him for advice during moments of difficulty in this new stage of my career and he was always very kind."

Ancelotti paid the price after a run of poor results and a mutiny that left De Laurentiis fuming. The players famously ignored the president's orders for a week-long training retreat in November and were fined for their behavior.

Despite their success in the Champions League, Napoli are without a win in Serie A in seven matches.

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